Easter 2016

My Easter cookies this year were a bit of a departure from my usual "cute" designs, not a chubby bunny or carrot in sight!

Last year, when I hand cut some Stargazer Lily cookies, I really liked them but the shapes were a bit strange.  I opted to purchase a lily cutter and design "pretty" cookies for the family this year.

A few pastel bunnies and water color eggs with pearls and gold lustre dust completed the platter for our family dinner.

Of course, I couldn't completely abandon my preference for "cute" cookies, so I made some chick puzzles for the younger children.

The cookies were bagged and tagged with a verse to inspire their creativity.

Finally, I couldn't resist making a few of these adorable little lambs inspired by Mike at Semi-Sweet Designs.  Mike has a template available, however, since I do not have a Kopykake, I did them free hand.

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring! 

Easter 2014

When I purchased this set of cutters, I thought I would KISS (keep it simple .  .  .) for Easter and make it a "Peep Year."  However, as I continued to shop I kept finding cute new cutters to add to my collection, bloggers kept posting creative ideas, I found cookie inspiration everywhere.  .  .  so much for KISS.

This year's collection includes some annual family favorites and some new designs.

This new "Chubby" Bunny cutter turned into several different looks as a result of inspiration found in a variety of places:

• Bunny with egg was inspired by a little bunny I have had for years
• "Peter Rabbit" and friend are based on Montreal Confection's tutorial
• Bunny with carrot was inspired by a decoration I saw at a local store

 The "Floppy-Ear" Bunny cutter has been in my collection for years, but I have never used it.  I was not happy with my first design (left), but the second one (right) made me smile :)

This common cutter is another one that I have had for years and never used until I saw this cute rabbit design posted by Haniela.  Michelle at MakeMeCakeMe also posted a very creative tutorial using this cutter.

I first made the bunny with carrot ears as part of a thank you gift and I thought the design was so cute that I used a smaller cutter for the cookies in my family Easter collection.  I also used this cutter to make the lamb cookie by chopping off the ears and turning the cutter upside down.

The lamb looks a bit like a puppy, but I think it is pretty cute compared to one that I saw in a popular store for $7.95 each.

Cookies on the left were on sale at a popular kitchen/home decor store

 Last but not least, can there ever be too many carrots in my collection?  The kids always joke that they can have another cookie because they are "supposed to eat their vegetables."

The two on the right and the "mini" are my favorites

I have accumulated a number of carrot cutters over the years.  Some are too fat, some are too thin.  This year I think I finally have found some favorites!

Visit SweetSugarBelle for an easy tutorial on Polka-Dot carrots.

Carrots in all shapes and sizes

Ready for the Easter Bunny

After weeks and weeks of cold weather, it is finally a beautiful, spring day in Chicago.  The cookies are baked, the lamb cakes are in the oven, out of town guests are arriving this afternoon.  .  .  I'm ready for Easter.

I made a variety of cookies for family and friends, including Glorious Treats gingham pattern and a sweet, little lamb inspired by Sweet Sugar Belle.

This year I decided to package individual cookies for the 15+ children who celebrate Easter with us.

For the older boys. . .based on a card I received  several years ago.

For the teen girls. . .an Easter parade of pastel bunnies

For the nieces and nephews who have joined the urban trend of raising chickens. . .design inspired by Klickitat Street

For the toddlers. . .another design inspiration from Klickitat Street

All dressed up for the party!

Happy Easter. . . Happy Spring!